Out of all the cooking methods, deep-frying is the least preferred cooking method for me. Why? Besides health reasons, I want to minimize my cleaning job. But this doesn’t mean I am totally rejecting deep-frying food. I don’t mind to eat it once in a while if it is done by others. Hehehe!

This fried shallot is the only deep-frying dish in my entire recipes. I made it on a weekly basis as I need the flavoured shallot oil for tossing my blanching vegetables. It also added extra flavour to some dishes in my cooking ie steamed silky eggs and steamed minced meat. The method I used is simple, not messy and still can produce crispy golden brown shallots to be used in my cooking. The key point is TIMING!

Ingredients:Shallots (peel and slice) – But don’t slice it too thin as it will turn to dark brown easilyOil (I use extra light olive oil that is suitable for deep-frying)1 long wooden chopstick (used for cooking)

Methods:1) Heat up a small sauce pan. Make sure it is dry. Otherwise water and oil will create a “symphony” in the kitchen.2) Pour oil inside and let the oil heat up first. The amount of oil used depends on your own requirement but do not exceed half of the sauce pan. It provides some rooms if the oil splashes.3) When oil is hot (not steaming hot), put your shallots in. Deep-frying under medium heat (adjust the heat if needed)4) Start stirring occasionally using the chopstick. This is the most crucial time that you need 100% undivided attention to monitor the shallots. It may take a while for the shallots to change colour (approx 10-15 mins – depending on the amount of oil and shallots you use)5) Once the shallots start to change colour, turn off the heat immediately. The heated oil will continue to fry the shallot. Stir occasionally until it reaches the desired colour (light or darker brown – up to your own preference). Refer to pic below.6) Drain the fried shallots using a strainer. Keep the oil aside and let it cool down.7) Pour the fried shallots on a kitchen towel to absorb the oil. When it is cool, store it in an air-tight container. Try to consume it within a week. I personally do not keep the fried shallots separately. When the oil is cool, I will pour the fried shallots back into the oil and keep them together in a small ceramic container (refer to pic below).

35 Comments

Oh my… fried shallots, that’s the hardest thing to do. Usually when I made fried shallots, it would be oily and then later not crunchy anymore thus I gave up by buying the ready fried shallots from the market although someone told me a trick to make crunchy fried shallots which is deep into flour.

Yum!! Finally!! Your post on fried shallots! Lovely! When you mentioned about steamed silky eggs and steamed minced meat…. I really wish I could have these 2 dishes in front of me! Just like my mom’s cooking!

I will attempt to make my own fried shallots too instead of buying from the supermarket 🙂

Hi Pam,Yes, it is widely used in Asian cooking esp rice & noodles. Just like the way u sprinkle grated cheese on pasta.

Hi Mikky,Yup, u r right. Besides Chinese, it is also widely used by Indian and Malay.

Hi My Cooking Huts,Ooops, sorry. To be safe, I had added it under the recommended recipes in my post. This 老少平安 is best cooked with homemade fish paste and square beancurd sold in the wet market. The mashing and mixing part is best done with your fingers. Tks, he had just recoverred.

U r such a great cook ….!! BTW, thanks for visiting my humble blog .. my cooking skill was very far away .. so much to learn .. but i like ur blog , very useful for people like me who just wanna learn cooking 🙂

Hi Anggie,Tks for your compliment. I am really flattered. *U*. Practice makes perfect. If you cook 2 meals a day and cook 6-7 days a week like me, you will learn faster. You are such a great baker. I envy you. I haven’t started my baking journey yet. Hehehe..!

Hi,
share with you…u can use Mircowave to fried shallots, slice the shallots, put it in a mircowave bowl, cover the slice shallots with oil, mircowave at high for about 2 mins or till golden brown. (depend on the qty of the shallots u microwave)

Emily: Tks a lot for your kind sharing. Unfortunately, I don’t use Microwave but will definitely share this handy tip with others who have Microwave in future. Btw, tks for dropping by and hope to see you more often. 😉

I fried my sliced shallot or chopped garlic in M’wave ! Add oil to cover shallot or garlic in a bowl that can stand heat !! Must keep an eye on it and stir once or twice and once it is slightly brown, remove it and stir once more and drain it after 30 seconds. Since it is very easy to fry them in M’wave, so I did not make a lot, just 3-4 shallots or garlic each time. It will take around 2 mins depends on how much ingredients and oil I used.

Hi love your blog, has been trying a few of your recipes, very useful to me as i’m learning to cook. Just a quick questio, do u keep those in the fridge after frying or just leave it in room temperature?